Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last year I stated the need for an ice road from Yellowknife to Lutselk'e in order to take the pressure off the cost of living in the community which faces high prices due to the shipping costs despite Lutselk'e only being a fairly short distance away from us here in the NWT capital. I want to revisit this project today and make another case for it completing in the near future because the political context has changed making the ice road even more necessary to both Lutselk'e and the territory as a whole.

First, the cost of living is still out of control and food insecurity is on the rise. My constituents hear about the potential trade war with the United States and are told prices will go up, and they wonder how the prices at their Co-Op store could go any higher than they are now.

Secondly, the building infrastructure in the North is becoming more vital to the overall security of the Arctic and subarctic. We already have major ice roads projects every year, especially supporting industry projects. The Tibbitt and Contwoyto winter road serving the diamond mines is 400 kilometers long. The Tlicho winter road connecting Whati, Gameti, Wekweeti is 200 kilometers long. The idea that the ice road to Lutselk'e is not possible is simply not true. We just need a political will to make it happen. If ice roads are good enough for the industry, then they are good enough for the small community of Lutselk'e.

Later today, I will be calling on the Minister of Infrastructure to commit to a feasibility study on the Yellowknife to Lutselk'e winter road as soon as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.